Current Research

Dr Tanya Wisely is now working on a new theme for research, in light of the proposed introduction of a Professional Update scheme, and the new standard for Career-Long Professional Learning. Values and social justice are at the heart of the vision for Scottish Education in the future. What does this mean to teachers in their everyday practice?

Teachers who are ‘immersed in the immediacy and flurry of front-line problem solving’ often find it difficult to establish space for critical reflection on their own practice, let alone on the nature of 21st century society. How can such worthy and complex aspirations become embodied in teaching and impact positively on children’s school experience?

We are using the learning journeys of four teachers from the Global Storylines project to ask:

How does the Global Storyline Professional Learning Programme make teachers more aware of/connected to their professional values, particularly those related to social justice?

How does the Global Storyline approach enable teachers to engage professionally with issues in the real world and the ways in which natural, social, cultural, political and economic systems function and are interconnected?

How do Global Storylines encourage teachers to consider their practice in the context of society?

“The impact on the children is amazing – it really gives them the enquiry skills and communication skills to be effective learners” Primary Teacher